Road Board’s twilight days

The abolition of the graft-ridden Road Board is a signature away from becoming a reality after the Senate submitted to President Rodrigo Duterte the measure that calls for the closure of the agency in charge of the P12 billion annual collection of the Motor Vehicle User’s Charge (MVUC).

The President said billions of pesos in revenues from MVUC or the road user’s tax had found their way to corrupt officials’ pockets

Senate records show House Bill 7436 was already transmitted by the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) to Malacañang on 8 February.

Mr. Duterte is expected to sign the measure into law any time soon as he himself called for the abolition of the body in 2017 to streamline services and stop corruption.

The President said billions of pesos in revenues from MVUC or the road user’s tax had found their way to corrupt officials’ pockets. Even the Commission on Audit (CoA) has consistently flagged the utilization of MVUC funds.

The President had branded the body as a “milking cow” for corruption, saying he wanted the MVUC funds used instead to finance flood control projects.

“They can’t really do anything there. I really don’t want to put the funds there, put it wherever. I will not release any single centavo there since I would regret it,” he said.

The President said he wanted to prioritize the Bicol region in flood control projects once the Road Board is abolished.

“I’m okay with Bicol getting the flood control projects first. We will really get that money so that it becomes beneficial to the people,” he said.

Senators said the agency is collecting about P12 billion a year from road user’s taxes. CoA has questioned the use of about P90 billion of the over P160 billion fund last year.

From 2001 to May 2018, the total collection for MVUC reached P166.18 billion. At least P136.87 billion of that amount has been released.

Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said the board still has an unspent MVUC fund of P45 billion.

DIOKNO Efforts to abolish the Road Board did not come smoothly as it sparked a “war” between Diokno and former House Majority Leader and now Appropriations committee chairman Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr.

Diokno said he agitated some members of the House of Representatives after denying their request for the release of MVUC funds.

The House actually attempted to rescind the approval of HB 7436 which was passed during the stint of Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez as Speaker. Upon the assumption of Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the House moved for the recall of the measure.

However, the Senate stood firm on the measure and adopted it initially on its entirety to counter the House move to rescind it last September.

Last month, both chambers of Congress agreed to approve the measure.